Beyond the CR7 Brand: Profiling all Cristiano Ronaldo's shirt numbers in club football

Cristiano Ronaldo has become a household name, transcending beyond the world of football and sports to become a personal brand in itself. The Portuguese international has leveraged his success on the pitch to build an impressive image and brand of himself. One of the most recognisable pieces of this brand is his jersey number. Over the years, the player has come to be known as simply 'CR7' because of the No 7. Jersey he has won since 2010 till date.

However, in a career that has spanned 4 European countries and 4 club sides, Cristiano Ronaldo has not always won the No 7 jersey. At the start of his professional career at Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo wore the No 28 jersey for the solitary year he spent in the first team. It is good to note that at this point, the CR7 brand/image had not even been born.

It was at Manchester United where he first came in contact with the No 7 jersey. After his transfer to Old Trafford, United coach Sir Alex Ferguson convinced Ronaldo to take the No 7 jersey. This number history is important.

Ronaldo initially rejected the proposition but through convincing from the manager, he accepted to take on the iconic No 7 jersey at United. He wore the shirt number throughout his 6-year stint with the club.

When Ronaldo completed his then world-record move from United to Real Madrid in 2009, the No 7 shirt was already being occupied by club legend, Raul Gonzales. So, Cristiano Ronaldo wore the No 9 jersey for his first season at Real Madrid. After Raul left for Schalke 04 in 2010, Ronaldo assumed his No 7 shirt at the Santiago Bernabeu. It was in Madrid that the tag 'CR7' gained prominence and became a huge brand.

After 4 Champions League titles and 4 Ballon d'Or titles at Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Italy with Juventus in the summer of 2018. At the Allianz Stadium, Columbian forward Juan Cuadrado was already assigned the No 7 jersey. But Cuadrado was gracious enough to rescind his ego and pass over the shirt number to his new teammate. Ronaldo wore No 7 throughout his stay at Juventus.

Now in Manchester United for the second time, it has been confirmed that the player would wear the No 7 jersey for the duration of his two-year deal with United. Again, Edinson Cavani had to give up his shirt number so Cristiano Ronaldo could get his preferred No 7. Ronaldo will expectedly make his debut against Newcastle United on Saturday.